A statement from President Obama attributed his resignation to ‘health issues within his family.’ Allen was cleared of wrongdoing in a probe into his emails with Tampa Bay socialite Jill Kelley.
Kristen A. Lee
The New York Daily News
2/19/2013
Gen. John Allen, who was in line to lead U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, is instead retiring from the military, the White House announced Tuesday.
A statement from President Obama that called Allen “one of America’s finest military leaders” and “a true patriot” attributed the decision to family health matters.
“Today, I met with General John Allen and accepted his request to retire from the military so that he can address health issues within his family,” Obama said in the statement. “I told General Allen that he has my deep, personal appreciation for his extraordinary service over the last 19 months in Afghanistan, as well as his decades of service in the United States Marine Corps.”
The statement did not explain the nature of the health issues. According to The Washington Post, Allen said his wife suffers from an autoimmune disorder among other chronic health problems.
“While I won’t go into the details, my primary concern is for the health of my wife, who has sacrificed so much for so long,” Allen said in his own statement…
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